Shock to Your System
by ShoesXsmileS
Summary: If there was one word to describe Roy's array of emotions, it would be guilt. They said it could take weeks, maybe months, for him to wake up…if he wakes up at all, he told himself. RoyEd. Includes OC.
1. Chapter 1

I miss RoyEd stuff. It's so fun to write. D:

This has to do with medical stuff (again.) I'm most likely going to get complaints about how horribly inaccurate I portrayed Ed's coma. But that definitely doesn't mean I discourage any of you from letting me know if I portrayed anything completely medically inaccurate.

_Shock to Your System_

Hypoxia: the deprivation of adequate amounts of oxygen. To anyone, that would just sound like a fancy medical term that paid no relevance to them. But to Roy Mustang, Elsa Sebastian, and Alphonse Elric, it meant so much more.

It had been a foggy Thursday morning in Amestris that day. The sarcastic blond strolled into the office late as usual, with someone that could appear to be his body guard, but was actually his younger brother. Roy had already been there since 5am on the dot, just like every other morning ever since his issue into the State Military. He was already "working" on his paperwork.

"I'm checking in," Edward said casually.

"Fullmetal…late again?" Roy spat, teasing the bratty teen as usual.

"Oh, c'mon, colonel; give me a break," the young alchemist bit back, approaching his desk.

"But you're late _every morning_. How can I give you a break if you never get anything right?" Mustang went back to his paperwork, only thinking that the comment he had made was just another one of his everyday insults to the teenager. He didn't think it was a big deal and Ed didn't think it was a big deal, so no one else thought it was a big deal either.

Ed merely shrugged at the comment and turned to go to the State Library, which was only a short distance away, as usual. Al went to follow his brother, but glanced at the colonel for a split second before running after him.

_How that useless kid stays in the military is beyond me. All he ever does anymore is go to the library and read up on that fantasy artifact of a Philosopher's Stone…he doesn't even go on missions anymore!_ Roy thought to himself subconsciously.

_Shock to Your System_

The day went on normally, until two young alchemists stepped foot into the office of Colonel Mustang. The colonel didn't think much of it; only wondered what the boys were up to.

"We're bored!" Edward said as they stepped inside, just like the brat Roy thought he was.

"Fullmetal, it is not my job to entertain soldiers. You see, I actually have a job; I don't just roam around doing nothing all day." Just another seemingly harmless comment was all it was.

"…We _don't_ just roam around doing nothing all day," Ed said with venom stinging every word, "we're just as much as part of the military as you are, so don't act like you own the universe because you're a 'higher ranking officer.'" Even though the teen alchemist couldn't care less about the military he was a part of and Roy couldn't care more about his next promotion, he still believed that on some level, they were the same.

"Fine, if that's what helps you sleep at night. Well, what do you want from me? Legos? Coloring books, maybe?"

"You know what we want. We want a mission."

The Flame Alchemist was shocked to say the least; he guess he knew that's what the teens wanted all along, but he just hadn't put two and two together. They hadn't asked for a mission in a while, nor had the colonel given them one. He guessed he wouldn't deny their request.

He began rummaging through his desk to find some missions that he had yet to assign. "Hmm…the only missions I have at hand are hard ones…" he said, taunting Fullmetal.

"We'll take anything you got!" The boy was awfully manic today.

"Okay, okay," Roy decided to give them a mission that had been lying around that was starting to bug him. Ed grabbed it and started to scan through it while his brother glanced at it over his shoulder. "Eastern headquarters has been requesting backup from us for a while now, and with your expertise I think you may be able to help. There's an old abandon warehouse that has picked up some attention from the military down there, but every investigator that's gone inside has yet to come out. Think you can handle it?"

"Of course we can!" Ed responded with complete arrogance, "C'mon Al, let's catch the next train!"

The Flame leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together, and watching in satisfaction as the young alchemists left his office, eager to get to the next train leaving. In all honesty, he thought that Edward must be really brave or really stupid to take up a mission like that, but he suspected the latter.

_Shock to Your System_

"I'm so thirsty…"

"Should we stop for a while, brother?"

"No, I can handle it…I wish we could find that damn warehouse already so we could go rub it in Colonel Bastard's face." Alphonse sighed audibly, but he could just see the flame in Edward's eyes. The real reason that Ed wanted to go on a mission was to prove himself worthy to the colonel. Al could understand that. He could tell Mustang was starting to think less and less of him and his brother the more time they spent in the State Library and the less time they spent on missions. Ed must've realized it, too.

"Hey, I see something!" the youngest brother exclaimed. They were in the middle of no where, and they had just about lost hope until Al had said that. Ed looked up and saw the hazy-looking building ahead of them. It was also nighttime, so they could hardly see it in the moonlight.

"You're right! Let's run!" Luckily, unlike the road to Lior, the ground was solid instead of sand. They didn't have to fear sinking into desert sand. The Elric brothers sprinted until they reached the seemingly randomly-placed warehouse.

It was definitely a warehouse. As if being in the middle of no where wasn't suspicious enough, it was heavily guarded by barbed wire and other such security.

With a small laugh, Ed stated, "Yep. This is definitely the place. Let's move." Checking to make sure no guards were around, they moved in.

The younger brother helped the other up onto the fence. "Heh, barbed wire; sometimes, I _love_ having automail!" Ed remarked.

"I know what you mean," Al said, climbing up and over the fence after his older brother.

"Hey, look," Edward murmured, pointing to an open door. A pool of light spilled onto the concrete through the door. "Looks like our villain forgot to close a door. C'mon." He and Al tried to approach the door stealthily (note I say try,) and snuck through the door.

The room was kind of odd. It didn't look _that_ out of place, but for a supposed warehouse it was _kind of_ out of place. It gave off an eerie atmosphere, but not in a creepy sort of way, more like in psychologically disturbing way. Not to mention it totally smelled because of randomly placed barrels with probably-toxic liquids.

"Well, well, _well_; if it isn't Edward _Elric_, the Fullmetal _pipsqueak_."

"Hey, I know that voice…" The duo looked up to meet the eyes of none other than the infamous homunculus himself, who stood on a balcony-like structure. "Envy!"

"Sorry to ruin your fun, but I have to cut this party short."

"Answer our questions first!" Alphonse demanded, "What have you done with the other investigators? What are your motives?!"

"What are you doing, playing Twenty Questions? I'd love to stay and chat, but this place has just got to go, along with you two inside it." Seemingly out of no where, he pulled out a lit match that made his face glow and make the whole room seem that much darker. He dropped it carelessly off of his balcony into one of the tubs of toxic fluids. The flames shot up quickly, and bounced upon the surfaces of the barrels almost instantaneously. The Elric brothers stood frozen in shock, while Envy laughed and walked back to wherever he had come from.

The flames devoured the room quickly. The brothers tried to escape, but the door they had come through had somehow been locked sometime after they had come in, and all the other exits were seemingly blocked off. It wasn't long before the whole room was engulfed in flames and Edward began to cough uncontrollably from the smoke.

"Don't worry, brother! I'll get you out of here—I promise!" Ed was hardly conscious by the time Al had resorted to dragged him through the smoke in a desperate attempt to find an exit.

"Al, I can't…"

"NO! I'm going to save you! I'm going to get you out of here!"

Ed coughed a few last times and he passed out. Within a few minutes, Al found an exit that wasn't totally blocked by flames and wasn't locked, and exited. The youngest Elric brother, realizing the eldest brother's state, sprinted into the only direction he knew humanity existed, with Ed in his arms the whole way.

Once in the small town they had been in before leaving for the warehouse, Al asked pedestrians for a place to find a qualified doctor, (everyone either gasped at the sight of Ed or wished them luck on finding a doctor,) until he finally found directions for the nearby small-town doctor. Al thanked the lady that had given him that information and bowed to her, then ran off in the direction she had supplied him with. And Ed was still not showing any signs of consciousness.

Once there, Al demanded to be let in, even though it was clearly passed the open hours.

"We're closed, now please leave!" the man was middle-aged and in some fancy-looking satin pajamas, with the door opened just a crack. The young alchemist guessed he was the doctor.

"You don't understand!" Al pleaded, "My brother and I—we were caught up in a warehouse fire, and he passed out, and I think he could be severely burned! Could you at least, please, take a look at him? I'll pay you anything. He's in the military, so we have a lot of money—"

"Alright, alright; come in." The doctor was obviously annoyed at being woken up at such an ungodly hour.

Alphonse carried Ed inside. The doctor led him into his living room and that's when he realized—he was inside the doctor's house, not his office. He was suddenly deeply ashamed, uncomfortable, and embarrassed.

"Set him down on the couch." There was a luxurious couch in front of Al that looked like it was screaming, "I swear, if you put that _thing_ on me, I'll kick you in shin!" He did as the doctor told him to anyhow.

The doctor undressed Ed down to his underwear quickly while Al observed from a distance. The dark spots scattered across his skin were evident, and it was obvious that there were severe burns near his automail ports. _It makes sense that that part of his skin would heat up the fastest, _Al thought.

"Tell me," the doctor spoke, and it kind of made Al jump.

"Yes?"

"You and your brother—who are you? You said your brother's in the military?"

"Oh…I'm Alphonse Elric, and that's my brother, Edward, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"State alchemist, huh? I've never heard of you guys(1)." The doctor continued to examine Ed, who still appeared to be dead. In a small part of himself, Al was slightly relieved. He didn't think he and his brother were _so_ talented that everyone in Amestris should know who they were. Ed, on the other hand, couldn't think more of the opposite.

After a couple simple medical tests, (the whole time Al tried to relax, but couldn't,) the doctor announced, "He's just unconscious. He'll wake up soon. If you want, I could let you stay here…"

"Oh, no! I wouldn't want to be a burden!"

"Oh, come on. It's obvious you guys are travelers, and your brother is in no condition to find another place to stay at the moment, and I'm sure you get tired of caring him. Now, blankets are over there,"—he gestured to a pile of blankets at the foot of one of the living room couches, the one that Ed lay on—"and you can stay in this room. Please, make yourself at home. Alright, I'm going to bed. Oh, and by the way, I'm Dr. Sebastian," and with that, he turned out the light and went back to his room.

Al blinked. Well, at least he didn't have to bother finding a place to sleep for the night.

_Shock to Your System_

Footnotes!

(1) Some of you may be like, "what? Did he just say Ed was a state alchemist after stating he had never heard of them? Wtf?!?!" For those who can't figure this out on their own, it was made obvious to the doctor that Ed was state alchemist because of his title. Just clarifying.

_Shock to Your System_

What do you think? This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I changed it to a few chapters since it was going to be a full-out story and plot. Hopefully I can keep up with this and Fullmetal Pedigree! at the same time. We'll see, we'll see…I hope you stay around for the next few chapters!


	2. Chapter 2

You all already know I'm the worst fanfiction author ever because I take forever to update, but I want you to all know that I'm deeply sorry. I have no excuses—I just didn't get around to writing it, working on other stuff, etc. School work still sucks. Algebra is better now though, because we have our teacher back (she was on maternity leave, and that teacher SUCKED.) I'm still pretty worried if I'm going to pass the final exam though…I have never had reason to be worried about failing anything before…but ANYWAY!

I've been having so much trouble with this story—more so than others. I have no idea why. But, my best friend, Kayla, has helped me so much with this, what with character dialogue and certain character reactions. She helps me with all of my stories, but more so with this one than others. So this is dedicated to her…even if she does hate yaoi. :)

_Shock to Your System_

"OH, MY GOD!"

Al fell straight onto the floor. Someone, a girl, had screamed. Why? He looked around, but he found no one but Ed (who he presumed to still be unconscious,) though he could hear the same voice, panicked, off in another room. A few moments later, Dr. Sebastian and a scared teenager girl entered the room.

"See? It's just some travelers. They were caught up in a warehouse fire. Alphonse, the big one, brought Edward—his brother—here and I allowed them to spend the night because they had no where else to go." _Actually, you _insisted_ on us to stay here, _Al thought.

"Why would you let them into our house, Dad?"

"I'm a doctor, honey; it's in my nature. Now, I'm going back to sleep." Dr. Sebastian went back to his room.

"Um…hi…" Al whispered. The girl looked at him.

"No offense, but you sound too…little to fit in that suit of armor." She slid down on her knees next to Al. "Why are you even sleeping in that suit of armor anyway?"

"It makes me feel safe," he said, the usual reply. He sat up. "Who are you?"

"Oh! I'm Elsa, Dr. Sebastian's my dad. Nice to meet you!" Did this girl suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder? She had gone from having a mental breakdown and wondering why her dad had let them in to being "nice to meet them." "Do _you_ have a name? What should I call you?"

"I'm Alphonse. You can call me Al."

"Hi, Al! Do you want to be my new best friend?" If she didn't make him laugh, he would've been seriously concerned.

"I guess."

"Yay! So, who's your friend?"

"Oh, he's not my friend; he's my brother. Well, I guess he _is_ my friend, but…anyway, that's Edward, or just Ed. He…passed out when we were still in the warehouse, and I got here as fast as I could, and he still hasn't woken up."

"That's so sad!" She walked over to him to give a closer look, "He looks pretty awful! Hm, why do you think _you_ didn't pass out?" she questioned. It was completely innocent, but Al couldn't think of a good enough answer to mask his true self.

"I…don't know."

"Hmm…weird. Well, it was nice meeting you, Al! I'll see you in the morning, 'kay?" She jumped up, and went back to her room cheerfully.

_Weird,_ Al thought, _very weird._

_Shock to Your System_

Three days past. Ed and Al resided in the Sebastian household for all three of them. Ed wasn't waking up. Meanwhile, Al got to know Elsa better. He realized that she actually didn't have Multiple Personality Disorder; that was just the way she was. Kind of weird, but he got used to it after the first day. She was thoroughly curious about Ed, Al, and everything about them—she barely even got to talk about herself.

By then, Al had begun participating in cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cooking with his family was one of the things he missed from the days when his mom was alive, before Ed became a state alchemist. As much as he liked it, he had to make sure not to get too attached to the Sebastian's, because he knew he'd have to leave them eventually. They'd go back to researching the Philosopher's Stone and human transmutation…but what if Al didn't want to go back to that life?

"Elsa, what're we making for dinner tonight?" Al said with an internal smile.

She smiled back and opened her mouth to speak, but Dr. Sebastian intervened before she could speak. "Alphonse, I need to speak to you. It'll only be in minute."

"Uh…okay…" he said. It was strange: he felt perfectly comfortable around Elsa, but being around her dad made him completely uneasy. He didn't know what it was—maybe it was just because he was a doctor? He wasn't sure.

He pulled him outside the room while Elsa started to gather the ingredients for tonight's dinner. Dr. Sebastian looked him directly in the eye, while Al looked back at his daughter. He gave him a suspicious look, and Al noticed. "No, it's not that…" he muttered, putting up his hands in defense. Dr. Sebastian shook his head, deciding that was a different conversation for a different time.

"I'm going to be straight to point with you, Alphonse. I believe Edward is in a coma."

"Wha…? But how could that be?" Sure, he had been unconscious for three days, but he couldn't be in a _coma_…could he?

"He hasn't shown any signs of waking up or responding since you brought him here, so I'm almost completely positive."

"So…what do we do?" he asked, worried for his brother's sake.

"You can stay for the night, but as a doctor, I have to highly recommend we relocate him to the nearest hospital as soon as possible.(1) It's up to you."

"I guess…for Ed's benefit, we should relocate him."

"Thought so," he said with a smirk. "I'll drive you two. Elsa, she'll stay here. You're a big guy—you can carry him by yourself, can't you?"

He wasn't just big—he was virtually inhuman. "Of course."

Within five minutes, they had Ed and Al crammed into the backseat with Dr. Sebastian in the driver's seat. Elsa was waving goodbye as he pulled out of their small driveway. The drive there seemed like it took forever, because they had to drive all the way to the next town over. Ed seemed to be getting paler by the second, but that might've just been Al's imagination. It was even more excruciating because they had to drive to the first town over, so it took at least half-an-hour. Al tried to remind himself that if Ed had survived for three days without life support, half-a-hour wasn't going to make a difference, but it still didn't seem to work.

Upon arrival, Dr. Sebastian signed into the hospital and as soon as he said, "I have a state alchemist in a comatose state," the receptionist radioed for someone to get him to the intensive-care unit ASAP. Sure enough, two young doctors rushed to the rescue. One of them had tried to make a joke by saying, "I assume the unconscious one is the one in the coma," but it didn't come out so funny because the other one glared at him as he carefully placed Ed on a table. (Dr. Sebastian later told Al that the one that had made the joke was the intern of the other, but that's a tad irrelevant.)

During Ed's inspection, Al and Dr. Sebastian waited outside of his hospital room. All they could do was tell the doctor that Ed had been in the coma for approximately three days and it was most likely from the smoke in the warehouse. It was anxious waiting for it to be over. To keep his mind off of Ed, Al told Dr. Sebastian he could leave.

"I think I'm going to be spending the night here…I'll be up all night if I got home," he said with a good-natured smile. Al appreciated that, because he would probably go insane if no one was there with him (that was conscious.)

Ed's neurologist—Dr. Manndoff, the one that did the examination—came back, wheeling Ed in front of him on a table. "It's good you brought him when you did," he said, "If you had waited any longer, you could probably say good-bye to Edward."(2) Al silently thanked himself for going tonight instead of tomorrow.

After talking a bit with Al and Dr. Sebastian in Ed's hospital room, Dr. Manndoff left the two to their business, and said to call the nurse if anything "abnormal" happened. After he left, Dr. Sebastian walked towards the door. "I'm going to go call Elsa; let her know what's going on." Al nodded as he walked outside and asked a by-standing nurse where the nearest phone was.

Al started to think about what was happening at HQ at the moment. That's when he suddenly remembered that Mustang had _no_ idea what was going on with them. _Oh! I should probably call the colonel! _he thought. As he was leaving the hospital room, he saw Dr. Sebastian on a nearby phone. It was a bit of a random observation, but he seemed more…vulnerable now. Before, when Al just thought of him as a middle-aged doctor that could help his brother, but that was when he was a stranger. After participating in the family rituals, getting to know Elsa, and most of all, seeing how much Dr. Sebastian loves Elsa because she's the only thing he has, he seemed much less formal and more like a human being…

"Alphonse," he said, hanging up the phone, "what do you need?"

"I just need to call headquarters and let them know what's going on with Ed…what did Elsa say?"

"Oh, she said she'll be fine by herself for the night. But she wants to come and visit Ed tomorrow." Al nodded once. He walked past him, leaving him the phone.

Al slowly picked up the phone and dialed the all-too-familiar number. He sighed heavily as the phone rang. After three rings, it clicked and a voice spoke, "Central Headquarters, Mustang speaking."

"Oh! Hello, Colonel," Al said casually, somehow knowing Mustang would recognize his voice.

"Alphonse!" He was correct. "Where are you? Why haven't you called? Are you and Edward okay?" He sounded extremely worried. Al just felt more guilty about not calling.

"Um…you see…brother's kind of in a coma…" Al tapped his fingers on top of the phone to try and distract himself from the awkward silence on the other end.

After a second or two, there was a rustle and Mustang said, "Tell me where you are. You can explain everything to me when we get there."

Al gave him the information and he said, "I'll be there as soon as possible." And the phone clicked.

_Shock to Your System_

Al had nearly fallen asleep (how that was even possible when he was in such a state of worry and shock was beyond him) when Roy arrived. He was panting when he all but slammed the door open. That woke Al right up (how Dr. Sebastian could still be asleep was a concept that could never be understood,) even if Roy wasn't paying attention to him: it was all on Ed.

"Edward…" he said, suddenly in a trance, walking over by his bedside. He sat down and buried his face into his hands. "Oh _God_," he groaned, sounding regretful. "How could I have let this happen?"

"Um…Colonel…" Al muttered, trying to avoid an extremely awkward situation.

"Oh…hey, Al…" he said, trying to put himself all together, but some of the pieces slipped from his grasp.

"The doctor said he's going to be okay," Al said, trying to keep his voice even. He had never seen the colonel so vulnerable before.

"I know, but…" His voice broke off. "Where should I sleep?" he said, now smiling.

"That chair will be fine," Al said, closing his metaphorical eyes again.

"Thank you, Alphonse…" was the last thing Al heard before falling out of consciousness.

_Shock to Your System_

Footnotes!

1: Most of you are going to be like, "WHAT? What kind of doctor is this guy?!" _Well_, he is a small town doctor—a _very_ small town doctor—so he can get away with being slightly irresponsible, because it's all his town has.

2. I need help with this one: do you think Ed would really die after three days? Because of the food situation and such…I don't know. Help?

_Shock to Your System_

OMGTHISCHAPTERISSOSHORT. Translation: Oh my gosh, this chapter is so short. Really, it is. This is like the BARE MINIMUM I will let myself submit. I'm sorry. And after not updating for forever, you deserve more. But you are mere READERS! Why don't you go write for once?! (And those who can't tell I'm kidding seriously need to get a life.)


	3. Chapter 3

Hiya! So, the first chapter was mostly Ed's POV (With some Roy and Al in there, too.) Last chapter was all Alphonse. This chapter it's Roy's turn.

I have to thank **Rocky Oberlin** for helping me with medical stuff. Thanks so much. ^-^

_Shock to Your System_

If there was one word to describe Roy's array of emotions, it would be guilt. Guilt about making Ed and Al go on that mission in the first place. Guilt about hating Edward so much. Guilt about…well, everything.

They said it could take weeks, maybe months, for him to wake up…if he wakes up at all, he told himself. But he couldn't think like that. People go in and out of comas all the time; at least, that's what he figured, but he was honestly too scared to ask.

He didn't get any sleep at all. The only time he even closed his eyes was to blink. He just watched the young alchemist sleep…at least, that's what he finally convinced himself to think. He's just sleeping; and in a way, he was, so it's not like he was _lying_ to himself. After his eyes adjusted to the extreme deficiency of light, he got to see Edward for the first time since he left HQ three days ago. He looked incredibly different. His hair was down, he was pale and his lips were without color. He had IV's in his arms and he was hooked up to all sorts of machines. He had a gas mask over his mouth, probably helping him to breathe, Roy thought. It _killed_ him to see Ed like that.

At first, it was nothing big. Three days on a mission wasn't a big deal. But this was a simple mission that should've only taken a day or two. It would be a lie to say that Roy wasn't at least a little bit worried about the brothers by the third day. But he didn't really realize the full extent of it until he got the call from Alphonse, since he had been going by the mentality "no news is good news." Once he got that call, it had been made obvious that something was wrong. And those words – _brother's in a coma – _just killed him inside. And seeing Edward in that state just killed him all over again.

_Maybe he'll wake up today,_ he thought to himself. He was trying to stay optimistic. But he knew he had never been an optimist.

Things move in slow motion when you can't sleep and no one else is around. At first, Roy just sat there. Then he decided to walk around in the hallway outside of the room. Once he got up and went outside, he saw no one was there except a couple nurses and doctors walking around. Some looked at Roy, some didn't. No one talked to him.

For some reason, he couldn't even work up the courage to even venture down the hallway. So he just stood by the door and contemplated the situation. More endless guilt.

After standing there for some good time, a doctor, looking to be in his mid-30's, came walking by in common surgeon attire. He stopped to look at Roy, who just looked away.

"Hey, are you Edward's father?" Roy looked at him. Did he really look like he could be Ed's father? One, he didn't look at him and two, he wasn't even old enough…was he?

"No."

"Oh. Guardian?"

He thought about it for a second. Sure, why not. "I guess you could say that."

"Great! I'm Dr. Andrew Manndoff, Ed's doctor and the head neurologist of this hospital. And you are?" He held out his hand. He sure was friendly for someone – _anyone_ – at two in the morning.

"Colonel Roy Mustang. I'm Ed's commanding officer." He shook Dr. Manndoff's hand with that insane grip of his that he acquired over so many years in the military.

"Colonel? So you're in the military? What branch?" Civilians were always curious about stuff like that. It's not like they actually cared, it was just common courtesy to ask.

"State military. I'm a State Alchemist, as is Edward."

"Really? What're your titles?" Hmm, so maybe this guy had more than just common courtesy.

"Oh, um…I'm the Flame Alchemist, and he's the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Never heard of you," he said genuinely with a grin.

"That's fine."

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Colonel," he said, as he walked off in the opposite direction he came.

Roy wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Well, it seemed like Dr. Manndoff was optimistic about the whole situation. Then again, he had probably dealt with comatose people all the time. In fact, he probably dealt with people worrying over their loved ones every hour of every freaking day. It was the way hospitals worked.

He went back inside the room. Of course, even after ten minutes, nothing had changed. He sat and thought.

Then, suddenly, a feeling welled up into his stomach – butterflies, maybe? – as he got an impulse. An impulse to do something he wouldn't normally. Probably a result of sleep deprivation, he told himself. But he decided to act on it anyway.

He grabbed Ed's flesh hand carefully, as to not mess with any of the IV's in his arm. This would probably be the only time he could do this without the young alchemist reacting negatively to it; and that was okay, even if he wasn't reacting at all.

_What the hell am I doing? What the hell am I thinking?_

With a hard swallow, Roy stared carefully at Ed's delicate face. Even in the darkness, he could tell the boy was…well, beautiful. _Oh god, what am I thinking? _He was fragile, broken even…and yet still so strong. It was admirable. So admirable, he could just…

Before he knew it, he was inches away from the alchemist's still face. He told himself that this was something he was only doing for himself…this had nothing to do with him liking Ed, at least, that's what he told himself.

_This gas mask is in the way._

After pulling down said gas mask, Roy was kissing Ed. Yes, really kissing. Roy Mustang, renowned womanizer, was kissing his male subordinate. It wasn't just odd, it was downright Armageddon.

He didn't do much, merely just softly laying his lips on Ed's with his lips very slightly parted. It's usually how one-sided kisses went. He stayed like that for a while, breathing Ed's air while Ed breathed his. It could barely be called kissing, he told himself; it could better be described as connecting lips. Except connecting lips _was_ kissing. He couldn't fool anyone, even himself.

After a good forty-five seconds, Ed suddenly began choking. Roy pulled back instantly and dropped his hand, thinking he might be waking up, but Ed just continued to choke. He put the gas mask on, but no use – he was still choking. He slammed his fist down on the call button. A nurse would be there soon…

Ed continued to choke until a doctor, who happened to be an eager, wide-eyed male intern, came to the door and said, "What can I help with?"

"H-he's choking…" he murmured. Seconds ago, he was kissing him and now Ed was choking.

"I see. I'll be right back." The intern left, but within a few seconds, he were back – with a tube, tape, and a tool that looked like a pick axe.

"Wh-what are you going to do?" Roy questioned nervously.

"We have to intubate him…look away, please." Well, he didn't want to watch it anyway – only a masochist would. He turned around.

"So what exactly are you doing?" Maybe once in his lifetime he knew what intubate meant, but now he had forgotten.

"I'm putting a tube down Edward's throat so he can breathe."

"Oh." Roy tried not to cringe at the thought of that. "Please tell me you've done this before."

"I have."

"That's good."

For about a minute, there was silence between the two.

"I'm done," the intern said.

Roy turned back around. "So now he can breathe?"

"That tends to be the point of intubation." What kind of sadist used sarcasm in a moment like this?!

"Well, thank you…I don't think we need anything else."

The intern grabbed Ed's chart by his bedside, wrote something down, and put it back where it was. "Happy to help," he said, and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Neither Alphonse and the doctor that had been caring for Ed and Al that Roy had yet to be introduced to was awoken during the incident.

If Ed could no longer breathe on his own, did that mean his condition was worsening? Did that mean his coma would just last longer, if he even got out of it at all? And did that mean that this was Roy's fault? Wow, just one more thing to feel guilty about.

He sat back down in his chair and watched Edward until the sun came up…

_Shock to Your System_

"What happened to brother?" Al asked as soon as he saw that Ed now had a tube going down his throat.

"Something happened last night…he just started choking, so I hit the call button, and someone came and intubated him…" Roy recalled regretfully.

"Were you awake all night?"

"Um…yeah, sort of…"

The doctor that Roy had yet to be introduced to chose then to wake up. "Oh, hello," he said as soon as he noticed Roy. He stood up and walked over to him. "I'm Dr. Sebastian. I've been taking care—"

"I know. I'm Colonel Roy Mustang, Ed's commanding officer."

"Well, nice to meet you, Colonel." He looked over at Ed. "Ah, they intubated him? What happened?"

"He choked during the night," Roy answered simply, not feeling the need to elaborate.

"Ah," he breathed in understanding.

"Hmm, do you guys want to go down to breakfast?" Al asked. Roy wondered if Dr. Sebastian knew about Al's lack of body. Probably not, he told himself.

"Yes, I am starving! By the way, Elsa should be here any minute now."

"Who's Elsa?"

"My daughter," he stated simply. "She's about Edward's age."

"I see. Well, it will be good to meet her." That was a straight-up lie.

They walked down to breakfast together. Even though he couldn't talk about it, all he could think about was how soft the lips on that blonde alchemist were…

_Shock to Your System_

W00t! I'm just a writing machine lately! :D Hope you enjoyed, and please R&R. Medical advice is always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

I really needed to get this update in tonight because marching band starts tomorrow, marking the end of my earthly existence. I'll try to update around our hectic schedule, but don't expect much.

So, I'm tired. And I don't want to pass out and puke and cry all at the same time. Here you go, hope you enjoy. :D

XXX

This morning, Elsa Sebastian was heading to the hospital where Edward Elric was now a patient. She had school that day, but that honestly wasn't on her highest priority list. It's not like anyone was going to miss her while she was gone, anyway. Alphonse was more of her friend than those bitches that called themselves her friends at that place they called a high school – more like a torture facility – and she was sure Edward would be too once he woke up. Anyway, even though she knew she wasn't going to make it to school today, her dad made her wear her school uniform. If she had gone to another school, she might've thought it was cute, but while she went to her school, there was no way in hell she'd admit to that.

The nearest hospital – the one Elsa was aiming to go to – was rather far away. To get there, she had to walk to the next town over, take the bus, and then walk a bit more. She knew the way by heart because her father had taken her on numerous occasions and taught her the route if she ever needed to go there for whatever reason. She didn't really think she'd ever have to use it, but it was sure coming in handy for this situation.

The whole transportation would take at least an hour and forty-five minutes and Elsa knew that, so she planned accordingly so she would show up at the hospital as soon as visiting hours started, so that meant leaving at seven in the morning. It was usually the time she left for school anyway.

Her mind busy with thoughts of various things, she got to the hospital before she even knew it. It looked the same as when she last saw it, which was to be expected of. Her feet carried her inside, where she asked the receptionists at the desk where Edward Elric's room was. After being informed of where it was, she didn't even wait around for directions because she already knew where it was. From here, she would have to turn left and it would be the second door on the right. It was just that easy.

When she walked in, first she saw Ed, laying on his bed, pretty much in the same state as she saw him last except for now there was a tube going down a throat. Then she noticed the raven-haired man sitting by his bedside. No one was in the room besides him. He had a five o'clock shadow and was pale. Elsa had a passing thought that he would be hot if he cleaned himself up a little. But her more persistent thought was _Who was this guy?_

"Who are _you_?"

"I'm Ed's commanding officer."

"Do you have a name?"

"You can call me Colonel Mustang."

_So Al really wasn't lying when he said Ed was in the military,_ she thought. She didn't exactly think he lied, but there had been a few patients of her father's that had lied about who they were to get better medical attention, so it was hard not to be suspicious anymore.

"So you're Elsa?"

"Yeah…" she said, long and drawn-out, as if to say, "How do you know my name, freak?"

"Your dad said you were coming today." He seemed to be a man of few words.

"Oh." She walked over and sat down in the chair nearest him. Upon closer inspection, she noticed he had dark shadows underneath his dark, drooping eyes that stood out against his pale skin. In other words, he looked like he stayed up all night and he could fall asleep at any moment. "Where is my dad anyway? And Al?"

"They're up at breakfast."

"Oh…Why're you here? Don't you have military stuff to do?" Elsa, truthfully, wasn't very fond of the military. She had heard about the whole Ishval deal a few years back, and the whole thing was a conspiracy theory to her. Since then she was against the military, but not to the point that she would hate someone just because they were in the military.

His smile was faint but present. "I'm here for Edward, and that's all that matters."

He seemed like he really cared about Ed. Funny thing is, Al had never mentioned him in all the time they talked. Maybe his adoration for his subordinate was one-sided?

"He's…he's really in a coma…" the man said, looking away from Elsa, as if he was talking more to himself than to her.

"Looks like it." She didn't know what the big deal was. People came in and out of comas all the time. She knew it was none of her business, but she couldn't help with asking. (She did have a problem with speaking her mind_ too_ often.) "Why is Ed so special to you?"

His jaw visibly tightened and his vision fixed on a spot across the room, then he relaxed. What did that mean?

"I've known him for a long time, Edward…Ed…" he responded softly. "He's a very important person…to me."

"No offense, but you sound like you're gay for Ed," she said with a laugh. In all honesty, she only said that because she hoped that he really _was_ gay for Ed. It would explain why he was acting so weird. Plus, gay guys were hot.(1)

"Haha…it does, doesn't it?" he responded weakly.

At that moment, Alphonse and Dr. Sebastian walked in. "Oh, Elsa, you're here already," the doctor said in surprise.

"Yep!"

"Hi, Elsa!"

"Hi, Al!"

"I should be going. I have to get back to work," Colonel Mustang said as he stood up.

"You'll come back later?" Al asked.

"Yes, after I'm done with work. He sighed deeply. "I best be going. Hawkeye will have my head if I don't go now."

"I know how that is," Al responded with a small laugh. "Okay, we'll see you later, colonel."

"Good-bye, Alphonse. Dr. Sebastian, Elsa." He nodded slightly to each of them as their name was said. He left the hospital room and shut the door quietly behind him.

"Oh, Elsa, I see you met Colonel Mustang?"

"Yeah," was all she could say.

"He's sort of like me and Ed's guardian. He saved us, you could say…when we first met…under such circumstances…"(2) The suit of armor seemed distant while he talked.

"What were the circumstances?" Elsa asked, out of pure curiosity.

"Oh…it was nothing." Obviously he didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh."

"Elsa, have you had breakfast?"

"Um…no…" It was true. She was in such a hurry to get to the hospital that she had completely forgotten about feeding herself. And now that she thought about it, she was getting a little hungry.

"The cafeteria's upstairs, if you want to eat?"

"Yeah, I think I'll go do that," she said, standing up. "I'll be back soon." She left the room and shut the door behind her.

Elsa had to walk down the hallway she came to get to the cafeteria, including past the front door. She was the type of person to look around while she walked instead of looking straight or at her feet – which I'm sure said something about her personality, but then again, I'm not a behavioral analyst. Anyway, so when she walked past the front doors, she spotted someone standing a good twenty feet away from the doors, facing away from the hospital, staring up at the gray, cloudy sky.

That someone was Colonel Mustang.

What was he still doing here? Didn't he say he had work to get to? Why was he just staring up at the sky? So weird.

Well, you know how they say curiosity killed the cat? Well, that cat's name happened to be Elsa.

Never letting her eyes fall off him, she walked out of the automatic hospital doors and speed-walked over to the dark-haired man.

"Um, Mr. Colonel Mustang, sir…?" she questioned quietly, coming out from behind him to confront him. She stood off to his right side and while she tried to make eye contact, he continued to look up at the clouds.

"Were these clouds here before?" he said, not breaking his gaze.

"Um…I don't know…" she honestly couldn't remember for some reason. Usually she was more observant about things.

"Maybe it's an omen," he said with a soft chuckle.

"An omen…? Of what…?" She honestly couldn't imagine what he was talking about.

Suddenly, his expression changed. He looked down and grinded his teeth, his ebony hair falling over his closed eyes. "What if he doesn't wake up…? What the hell will I do if he doesn't wake up?" he almost whimpered.

"What're you talking about? Of course he's going to wake up!" she reassured.

"How do you know that? You're not God!" he nearly shouted, then added softly, "What am I talking about? I don't even believe in God…"

Despite her dad being a doctor, Elsa didn't know much about medicine. She figured that hypoxia – the cause of Ed's coma – wasn't as serious a cause as, say, a terminal illness or horrible accident. He just didn't breathe enough for a while. Still, it wasn't totally natural and he did get put on a breathing tube, so that probably meant his condition was worsening…right? But still, why was Colonel Mustang worrying so much?

He still wasn't making eye contact.

"He's gonna be okay," was all she could manage to say.

"No, he _won't_ be okay…even if he does wake up."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She meant exactly what she said. What the _hell_ was that supposed to mean?

"I'm in love with him…I'm freaking in love with Edward Elric…" he said softly under his breath, but not so soft that she didn't understand every single word that he said. It was as if he was saying it to himself. There was a theory that if you told yourself something enough times, you would start believing it. For example, if someone kept saying to themselves "I'm not scared," even though they knew they were scared, but after saying it twenty or so times, they would start to believe that they were in fact not scared. She wasn't exactly sure how it worked, but it seemed to work with a lot of people. That thought pulsed through her mind quickly. Psychological theories were interesting to her, even if they weren't real theories and things she just thought up in her free time. The second thing she thought was "Wait…_what_?"

"Does he know that?" She didn't want to seem like she was the type of person that would go and spill his secret – if this was a secret, which she guessed it was – by saying "_What_ did you just say?" or something along those lines.

"Last night…everyone was asleep, except me…and I kissed his—him. That's when he choked and he got intubated."

Could his having stopped breathing really been caused by a kiss? Elsa doubted it.

"When did you come to this conclusion?"

"Yesterday…"

"Okay. How long could you have been in love with Edward?"

"Maybe as long as I've known him."

XXX

1. The whole reason why I write yaoi, right there, in four simple words. XD Not really. :P

2. While this can also be applied to the anime, I'm thinking of the manga where they first meet. (SO much more epic than in the anime!)

XX

DUN, DUN, DUUUN! Whoa, did I just do a cliffy? Amazing! I never do those! XD Every writer should do one once and a while, I guess. Wait…does that even count as a cliffy? I guess it does. ANYWAY.

Elsa's cool. I would totally be her best friend if she was a real person. :D

I'm thinking of wrapping up this story in a chapter or two. Maybe three. Whaddya think? Review, review, review!


	5. Chapter 5

Yeah, sorry about that whole not updating thing. Marching band in Texas sort of consumes your life whole. Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

Blurry lines came into vision as the darkness faded, though there weren't that many lines that needed to come into focus since all he was staring at was a white ceiling._ I must be in a hospital, _was his first thought.

"Oh my…SOMEBODY! CALL DR. MANNDOFF! ED IS AWAKE!" a boyish voice commanded.

"Wha…?" The last thing he remembered was…actually, he couldn't remember the last thing he remembered. How long had he been out? A few hours? Overnight? "What happened?" was all he could ask.

"You were in a coma, brother," a suit of armor managed to say before yelling out more commands.

A _coma_? How in the world had he been in a coma? What could've caused it? He tried to recall the last thing he remembered again… and nothing came.

_A large, warm hand linked fingers with his still, cold one._

A sharp shiver flew down his spine as he recalled the memory. Where did that come from? He shook it off as if it was nothing, though he had never experienced memories – were they memories? – that he didn't remember experiencing. Was this what it felt like to recall memories from a past life? But no, this was the first time he had recalled something of this manner. And why was he giving this so much thought in the first place?

Placing that in the back of his mind, Edward pulled down the covers to his waist and sat up. The suit of armor approached the right side of his bed, the side of the bed that was opposite the door.

"I'm so glad you're awake, Ed!"

"Ed? Who's Ed?"

"…That's you, Edward," he responded, sounding worried.

No way. How could he not remember his own name?

"Right. And you are?"

This time, the suit of armor sounded as if he was going to cry. "I'm your brother, your traveling companion, and best friend Alphonse…Al. Do you remember…Winry?"

"Doesn't ring a bell."

The suit of armor – Al? – looked at him for a second, and then got up and walked out the door. Honestly, he didn't think that boy was his brother. I mean, he would remember if he had a brother, right? That was just ridiculous.

After a couple of minutes, a guy in scrubs and a white coat that looked to be in his mid-30's walked in followed by Al (though he didn't really know if he could trust that Al was his real name if he couldn't trust him when he said he was his brother.)

"Oh _great_, another person I don't recognize."

"Don't worry, Ed, you shouldn't recognize me. I'm Dr. Manndoff, your neurologist. Do you know what alchemy is, Ed?"

"Yeah, everybody does."

"Could you show me an example of it?"

"It's not like _I_ know how to use it." The one with the boyish voice inhaled sharply. Dr. Manndoff nodded. "I see. You're going to have to stay here in the hospital for a while, Ed."

"Who's Ed?"

The neurologist's jaw tightened, then he said, "That's you."

"Oh."

"We're going to keep an eye on you for a while, so don't go anywhere."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Manndoff, your neurologist. I'll see you later, Ed." The doctor walked out.

* * *

"What's wrong with him?" the threatening-looking suit of armor with the voice of a small boy questioned as soon as Edward's doctor closed the door.

"I believe he has global amnesia."

"That means very little to me." Al was being rude, but he didn't care – he desperately wanted to know what was wrong with his brother.

"It's an incredibly rare form of amnesia…it's a combination of retrograde amnesia, the type of amnesia where someone doesn't remember events before the incident, which explains why he didn't know his own name; and anterograde amnesia, which is the type of amnesia where the brain can't store long-term memories, which explains why he couldn't remember his own name after being told."

"It'll go away, right?"

"Eventually, most likely. Since he just woke up, I'd like to keep an eye on him. After a few days, you'll probably be able to take him home. Well, actually…"

"What?"

"You said you two don't really have a home, correct? You're just travelers?"

"Yes, sir."

"You'll have to find someone to keep you while he's recovering. He can't travel in this condition."

"Yes, sir."

"I have to finish my rounds. I'll be checking up on Ed later, Alphonse." And he walked away.

This was all definitely news to Al. Once he thought about it, yes, he would need to stay with somebody. But who? He didn't want to burden anyone. But he was sure that it would be a bigger burden on everyone if they _didn't_ have someone to take care of them while Ed was in this state…

Elsa and Dr. Sebastian came out moments after Dr. Manndoff had left. Al let them in on the situation.

"We'd take you in again, but Ed should be where his natural environment is so he can get his memory back quicker," Dr. Sebastian replied once Al was finished explaining. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll find someone."

"Yeah..." The hospital wasn't going to release Ed for a while, so Al placed the thought in the back of his mind for later as he opened the door and walked back into the room.

"How're you feeling, Ed?"

"Who's Ed?"

* * *

Roy couldn't leave town, even if it meant missing work. Of course he couldn't. He tried to make himself think that this was nothing, just a strange and stupid sexual desire that would pass in a few days. He wanted to believe that, but he just couldn't.

So he stayed in a hotel that was within walking distance of the hospital, unbeknownst to Alphonse and company.

Things got a little out of hand. The colonel took an extended leave from work, and while he was sure she was curious, Hawkeye did not question Roy when he called in to request the leave. He took few showers and had little clothing. He wasted his money on alcohol. He didn't shave. He hoped the intoxicating liquid would make him realize that what he was doing and feeling was incredibly idiotic. But, of course, it only made his silenced thoughts more radical.

Luckily, the man wasn't drunk when he received a call from the hotel one afternoon a few weeks later. It was Hawkeye.

"Sir. I have good news."

"What is it, Hawkeye?"

"I just received a call from Alphonse Elric. I told him you were out and did not mention the extended leave."

"Wait, did you just say Elric? What did he say?"

"Edward is awake."

Riza had been thinking of how this conversation was going to go ever since she had even heard the young alchemist was in a coma. She knew the colonel cared for Ed as a person, and while he didn't usually act like it, especially around Ed, she knew it was unlikely that in this situation he would be uninterested in the teen's condition. And she was right. The extended leave was proof of that.

"…Is he now," came the small response through the phone.

"Yes…" There was a short silence. "Go and see him. It's what he wants. And what you want."

"What right do you have to say what I want?"

"Because I know you too well, Colonel," and he could practically hear her smile through the receiver.

* * *

Of course he had to go see Ed. After ending his conversation with his subordinate, Roy rushed over to the hospital. Once he got there, Roy briskly walked through the automatic doors without even asking about Edward at the front desk. He remembered exactly how to get to the room. Once he nearly slammed open the door, he was immediately greeted by Ed's sleeping face.

"Colonel…" Al murmured before Roy could even say anything.

"Oh, um…hello, Alphonse."

"I need to talk to you."

That was the one thing the military officer was not expecting the boy would say. Maybe "How'd you get here?" or "Why are you here?" but not "I need to talk to you." Wait…did Ed die? No, there's no way, they would've taken his body away by now…wouldn't they? He glanced over his shoulder as the incredibly altitudinous suit of armor lead him out of the room. The blond appeared to still be breathing even though he was quite pale…

"What do you need?" His voice was steady, but Roy was sure his worry was splattered all over his face.

"It's about Ed." _Oh, God, no._ "He's awake, but…he doesn't remember anything…even after being told."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"It's this thing Dr. Manndoff was trying to explain to me…it's called global amnesia…where you can't remember anything from before the incident of trauma and can't create new memories."

"Wait, so you mean…"

"He can't even remember his own name for more than a minute."

"Oh, God…" he covered his eyes with one hand and clenched his teeth.

"The doctors don't know when his memory will return, if at all, so—"

"Don't say that," the colonel said, almost sounding angry.

"What?"

"Don't say 'if at all.' He _will_ get his memory back. We just…just need to help him."

The conversation then ended, even though Al still had a little more to say. Mustang turned back into the room and commanded to the boy trapped in armor, "I need sticky notes." Al couldn't help but succumb to these orders.

After retrieving sticky notes, Roy wrote sticky note reminders and hung them up around the sick one's bed for when he woke up for the x amount of time that followed. No one helped him but no one stopped him either. He didn't even think about the kinky dreams involving Edward that had been haunting him lately once – all he wanted to do was help someone he cared for deeply.

* * *

Yeah, I'm trying. And for those of you who actually watch stuff besides anime, yes, I did get the sticky note idea from _Grey's Anatomy_. Fun fact: Sticky notes were first invented in 1968! Though, I've seen much worst time-line inconsistencies in fanfictions. Anyway, I am so tired. Ja ne.


	6. Chapter 6

So, the first real update in a while! :D So exciting. I can't wait for the reviews to start rolling it~

XXX

_Your name is Edward Elric, also known as Ed. You are seventeen years old._

_You and your younger brother are incredibly talented alchemists. _

_You are currently seeking the Philosopher's Stone to retrieve your real bodies back, which you lost in a human transmutation of your mother, which didn't bring her back anyway. _

_In the transmutation, you lost your arm and leg, which are now automail. Your brother lost his whole body, but you attached his body to that suit of armor over there._

_Your brother's name is Alphonse Elric, also known as Al. He's one year younger than you._

_You are the youngest person in history to become a state alchemist. You were twelve when you first became one. Your title is the Fullmetal Alchemist._

_Your commanding officer is Colonel Roy Mustang. He is also a state alchemist; the Flame Alchemist. He's the one by your bedside with the black hair and the one writing you these memory notes._

Roy spent the rest of the afternoon writing these "memory notes" for Ed's room. For a long while, Ed watched silently as his commanding officer continued writing notes for his room with sullen eyes. Every time the raven-haired man caught a glimpse of the younger man, he wanted to sob; he just looked so pathetic. After a while, the blond went to sleep, but Roy did not stop. Although it was unnecessary, Roy tried to pull whatever information he knew about the blond to write a sticky note about.

XXX

The man sitting next to him looked familiar after a while. It was like he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't recall where it was. One of the many sticky notes around him said "_Your commanding officer is Colonel Roy Mustang. He is also a state alchemist, the Flame Alchemist. He's the one by your bedside with the black hair and the one writing you these memory notes_" but no – there was something else to it.

XXX

"I don't see any use in keeping him in a hospital bed. It would be better if he went home. You know, letting him live his normal life as best he can; the familiarity can help ease the amnesia away."

"Okay…but…"

"Yes?"

"They don't have anywhere to go…" Roy mumbled.

"…Oh, right, his brother did say they were travelers, didn't he? Hmm…quite a dilemma…"

The idea struck Colonel Mustang as if it was a bolt of lightning.

"Well, they can stay with me. I'd be happy to take them in. Plus, while in my house, Ed can still go to work."

A smile erupted across the doctor's face. "Wonderful. I'll need you to sign some discharge papers, since they will be in your care. You know, just as a formality."

"Of course."

XXX

There was no objection from Alphonse when Roy had told him that he would be their guardian till Ed got "better." Ed, of course, was not coherent enough to have a say in the matter since he couldn't even remember who he was (which was probably good for Roy because h ewwould probably disapprove.) Roy was told he could leave whenever they were ready.

Al started telling Roy everything there was to know about the Fullmetal as soon as they got in the car. Stuff like how he takes a shower every night and that he tends to wake up in the middle of the night to eat. There was so many odd quirks he had there was he no wah e could remember them all. If he dated Edward, did that mean that he'd have to learn all this stuff?

"OH, and we're going to have to stop by our dorm to grab his pillow. He can't sleep without it for too long. And get some other stuff, too…"

_Who am I kidding?_ Roy thought_, Like Edward would really date me, Colonel Bastard…_

This continued about half the way home. Roy, driving, with Al in the backseat, talking, with Ed, sleeping. At least it was a lot better than Ed saying "Who are you? Where am I?" every five seconds.

Finally Al said, "Um…and that's all I can think of for now. I know it's kind of a lot to remember."

_You mean impossible to remember,_ thought the colonel.

In a way, Roy envied Al. Not necessarily because he knew Ed so much better than him—thought that was part of it—it was because he was so close to someone at all that he knew nearly everything, if not absolutely everything, about that person. Mustang never had that…ever. He wanted that. And he was just sitting there, asleep, waiting to be known.

Before he realized it, they were at HQ. He was sure he sounded monotonous when he asked, "Do you need me to come with you guys?"

"Um…no, thanks. Actually, I'll just go by myself. Ed's asleep and I know what we need anyway."

Roy stiffened. "Oh, sure. I…forgot."

"Okay…I'll be right back." The suit of armor got out of the car and slammed the door behind him.

_Thank God I had these windows tinted,_ the older man thought.

He turned around slowly, and had a subconscious feeling that whatever he was about to do he would regret for one reason or another.

Again, he leaned in to touch his lips to that of Edward's. He, still, could not believe himself for what he was doing, again. _What an idiot I am,_ he thought.

As he pulled away, Ed's eyes fluttered open. "Huh…who are you?" I don't remember you."

_He's not going to remember it anyway, so why don't I just…_

"You were in a coma and you have amnesia, but we're taking you home now."

"But who are you? Why are you kissing me?"

"I'm…your boyfriend. I just wanted to let you know that I love you," he said with a subtle smile.

…_pretend?_

"_Boyfriend_? Really? I chose to date someone and I chose _you_?

Roy had developed good "pretending" skills after being in the military all these years…

"Those are hurtful words, Edward. You know you love me." He leaned in to kiss him again. This time, he got the satisfaction of Ed kissing him back.

XXX

The smooth surface against his lips was simply tantalizing.

He had felt this before. This feeling of pink on pink and the warmth in between. It was as if he just wanted more of this feeling of…warmth. It was an incredible feeling. He pushed into it so his sense could absorb this amazing feeling.

XXX

Roy was honestly surprised when Ed leaned into the kiss. He wrapped his hands around the back of his head and it almost felt like he was kissing a girl, what with the soft lips and the soft, smooth, long hair.

XXX

He loved the feeling of being pushed deeper into this intimate experience. His large hands that looked rough now felt gentle caressing the back of his head.

He didn't really understand what happened when his throat vibrated and he made an…arousing sound.

XXX

When Ed moaned, Roy immediately hardened and got rougher. He pushed hard onto Edward's mouth with his and Roy slightly pushed his tongue through his lips. Ed was alarmed by this and pulled back.

"I'm sorry…I don't think I'm ready for that right now."

Damnit, I'm such an idiot…Roy thought. He was rough at heart, but he had practically forgotten how delicate this boy—no, man—was. He guessed that this was his first kiss—not that he knew that, or would remember it, but Roy would constantly be living with the guilt of stealing this first kiss. Damnit, your first kiss is supposed to be with someone you really cared about, not someone that was just forcing themselves on you…

_Oh shit, I completely forgot!_

"Your brother Al is coming back in a second. He…doesn't know we're dating."

"Why not…?"

"That's…the way you wanted it. I don't know why. You two are really close."

"Oh…okay…"

XXX

The kiss was unlike any other experience he's ever had…and yet he still had a feeling he somehow was.

XXX

Mustang turned back around to face out the windshield. As much as he wanted to look at Edward, it would be awkward if he was staring at him when Al got back. "You might want to pretend you're asleep. That's what you were doing when he left."

"Oh…okay…" He closed his eyes and shifted into a sleeping position.

Roy could see Alphonse coming back now, and he blankly stared at the windshield. The back door opened, and Al put all the things he got from the dorm room in the passenger's seat. "That should be enough. We can always come back if I forgot something, right?"

"Of course."

"Something wrong?"

"Not at all."

Roy had a strange feeling when he put the car into gear, with tears in his eyes and a hardness between his legs.

XXX

I know how it feels to steal someone's first kiss when you don't have feelings for them. It's been over a year now and I still think about it often and it's probably the biggest regret of my life. If you're reading this, you have no idea how sorry I am.

Anyway, what did you think? I know, it's a little shorter than usual. But I wrote half of this in a spiral and then typed it up so I really had no idea how long it would be. I'll be sure to be back to normal next time. :3 Review~


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